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Vera Lynn back in top 20 - at 97

Dame Vera Lynn has entered the top 20 at the age of 97 - extending her lead as the oldest living artist to figure so high up in the album chart.

The Forces' Sweetheart released Vera Lynn: National Treasure - The Ultimate Collection this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings on Friday.

The album, featuring more than 40 wartime songs including We'll Meet Again and The White Cliffs Of Dover, reached number 13 in the chart, beating the likes of Pharrell, the Arctic Monkeys and rapper 50 Cent whose new album missed out on the top 20.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran achieved his first UK number one single with Sing, while fellow British solo star Sam Smith remained at the top of the album chart with In The Lonely Hour.

Dame Vera said: "I am delighted of course. It is wonderful to hear these songs again that were at the top of the charts so long ago, and it's warming to think that everyone else is listening to them too."

The veteran singer's last major chart feat was five years ago when, at the age of 92, she achieved a number one with an earlier best-of release.

Dame Vera - who made her professional debut at the age of seven - already holds the record as the first British artist to top the US charts in 1952 and as the only artist over 90 to top the UK album charts.

Sheeran's single, which was co-written and produced by US star Pharrell, sold nearly 124,000 copies over the last seven days, according to the Official Charts Company.

It knocked Sam Smith's Stay With Me off the top spot, with the 22-year-old's track slipping to number two.

A charity single inspired by teenage cancer victim Stephen Sutton also stormed into the top 20.

Hope Ain't A Bad Thing by The Neon Brotherhood finished in 16th place.

Tom Drover from Neon Sound Studios, who played guitar on the track, said: "The idea was hatched when Stephen posted his thumbs up picture. We all decided to come together to do something for Ste, one of the things on his bucket list was to have a charity single."

Stephen, 19, raised millions of pounds for Teenage Cancer Trust before his death last month and all the profits from the song will go to the charity.

Comments

Vera was /is an icon and stands alongside such icons as Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday easy to listen to, with pleasant melody, and diction one can actually understand.

Most of the stuff dished out today is just booming noise, with repetitive background thumping reminiscent of the jungle beat of African native music,

Mostly ephemeral,lasting days only, hence the constant rise of 'new' bands and front so called singers that in the manin simply scream and screech into a microphone they cannot perform without.

Vera could hold an audience in a theatre, or a couple of people in a room. with equal ease, without destroying their eardrums. For many she will be forever a welcome relief after their clubbing days are over and they need to actually hear both the words and the music, and long after the 'pop' community of today has gone the way of all garbage, .....into the trash can of entertainment history,
No doubt some music researcher in the 23rd century will rake up a recording of what may be called a pop star of the 21st, and will wonder why the hell such noise ever got placed on disc, but he'll have no problem with Vera Lynn/ and those others I began' with as they will still be iconic in the future.

Vera was /is an icon and stands alongside such icons as Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday easy to listen to, with pleasant melody, and diction one can actually understand.
Most of the stuff dished out today is just booming noise, with repetitive background thumping reminiscent of the jungle beat of African native music,
Mostly ephemeral,lasting days only, hence the constant rise of 'new' bands and front so called singers that in the manin simply scream and screech into a microphone they cannot perform without.
Vera could hold an audience in a theatre, or a couple of people in a room. with equal ease, without destroying their eardrums. For many she will be forever a welcome relief after their clubbing days are over and they need to actually hear both the words and the music, and long after the 'pop' community of today has gone the way of all garbage, .....into the trash can of entertainment history,
No doubt some music researcher in the 23rd century will rake up a recording of what may be called a pop star of the 21st, and will wonder why the hell such noise ever got placed on disc, but he'll have no problem with Vera Lynn/ and those others I began' with as they will still be iconic in the future.varteg1

Vera was /is an icon and stands alongside such icons as Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday easy to listen to, with pleasant melody, and diction one can actually understand.

Most of the stuff dished out today is just booming noise, with repetitive background thumping reminiscent of the jungle beat of African native music,

Mostly ephemeral,lasting days only, hence the constant rise of 'new' bands and front so called singers that in the manin simply scream and screech into a microphone they cannot perform without.

Vera could hold an audience in a theatre, or a couple of people in a room. with equal ease, without destroying their eardrums. For many she will be forever a welcome relief after their clubbing days are over and they need to actually hear both the words and the music, and long after the 'pop' community of today has gone the way of all garbage, .....into the trash can of entertainment history,
No doubt some music researcher in the 23rd century will rake up a recording of what may be called a pop star of the 21st, and will wonder why the hell such noise ever got placed on disc, but he'll have no problem with Vera Lynn/ and those others I began' with as they will still be iconic in the future.

Ipsoregulated

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